So, when I was younger, I wanted to be a filmmaker, so I wanted to go to film school. Mostly to get my hands on all of this expensive equipment.

But I didn’t go to film school that’s a whole other episode.

Today, everything's different.

I mean, I was at this party recently, and there was this very funny moment where everyone was whacking a pinata. There was a couple of people filming on the camera, but I was like, 'that would be such a funny film.' Just then my 10-year-old daughter Odessa, had shot, edited and was posting on the Internet the film as we were watching it.

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I'm Tiffany Shlain. I'm a mother, filmmaker, I founded the Webby Awards, and this series is about how the future doesn't start somewhere far off in the distance, the future starts here.

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What is the potential when everyone - including my 10 year old daughter has the tools to make and distribute things for the world?

I mean we’re in the middle of the biggest explosion and proliferation of voices and creativity that humanity has ever seen.

We’re living in a world where everyone can express themselves in new ways.

Anyone can make music or a film or write an article, post photos

The tools to create are becoming more and more available to more and more of us.

Everyday people, all of us, art is everywhere.

What can collaboration look like on a global scale?

My team and I dove into that idea and created something we call Cloud Filmmaking.

And really it was us responding to the feeling of everyone wanting to be part of something bigger than themselves.

Everyone wanting to create.

So we thought well let’s try to shape it. Let’s try to curate it and make something together with voices and artwork from all over the world.

And it was incredible, it exceeded every expectation we had...

we wrote a 1-page script called A Declaration of Interdependence and posted it on the 4th of July

and just invited people to read it on video and send us artwork based on the script.

Hundreds of submissions poured in from everywhere! From Haiti and China and every continent and from all over the US.

We’re creative beings.

We need to express ourselves.

We want to be part of something larger than ourselves.

And these Cloud Films that we’re making are just a testament to, not only do we have the tools and the means, but we can collaborate in all of these new ways.

And this is just one example of creative collaborations.

There’s so many more with inventions, fundraising, medical break-throughs and making art.

I used to direct where I’d be in one studio with hundreds of people in one physical space.

And now, we’re in our film studio in San Francisco, and it’s like we’re directing people all over the world who are part of this incredible cast of humanity.

Our history books have been telling the stories of just a small handful for centuries.

When we look back at this time in history, the story is going to be about the power of creative break-throughs that include all of us.

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Sample 3: A Let it Ripple Cloud Film

The Science of Character

8 min

2014

There are 7 billion—well, actually, 7.1 billion—humans on the planet.

And each one of us has a unique character.

So what determines your character?

You do, and all the people around you.

And of course, some genetics too.

But there's new science proving that if you focus on certain parts of who you are, you can develop your character

and ultimately live a more meaningful, successful, and happy life.

No matter what your circumstances.

I mean, isn't that what we're all trying to figure out?

This whole idea about developing our character really took shape in 2004

when two psychologists suggested that instead of just focusing on all the things that can go wrong with us,

it's also important to celebrate all the things that can go right.

You see, they looked throughout history to identify core virtues

that humans across cultures have agreed lead to a meaningful life.

And then they identified 24 character strengths that when practiced and developed could lead to these virtues.

And they organized them, like scientists have done throughout history to understand things better.

These ground-breaking studies showed that every person is a unique combination of these strengths.

Like for me, I'm high on curiosity.

I could work a little on the prudence. Actually, what is prudence?

Anyhow, one of the most interesting parts of all this is they found that if we focus on building upon the strengths we have,

it has a lasting effect on our happiness and well-being.

So think about.

What are your top 5 strengths?

Now, another part of this is that you can help shape other people's character too.

They found that the key to human relationships is ultimately appreciating the character strengths in others.

To explore this, we asked people around the world who do you admire and why?

I admire my mother the most because she's very loving and caring.

(Russian) I admire people who are willing to fight for their goals.

The person I admire the most is Einstein, of course.

My sister, because she is so tough and so brave.

People who use their creative energy to make the world a better place.

This powerful new framework paved the way for a whole new era of social science that it turns out, is unpacking a very old idea.

So how do we develop these character strengths?

One theory suggests that people either have a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

A fixed mindset is the belief that we're born with certain abilities, intelligence, and talents, and we're stuck with it.

A growth mindset is believing "I can change." "If I set my mind to it, I can do anything."

Let's take for example, failing at something.

With a fixed mindset, failing means, "I'm a failure!"

A growth mindset understands failure happens to everyone.

Of course it's hard, I've been there. But it's also something to learn from, something to improve upon.

Fortunately, we can all develop a growth mindset.

It takes practice and it takes encouragement from the people around us, but it can be learned.

And it's all because of an amazing part of the human brain called the prefrontal cortex.

It's like our brain's control panel that orchestrates our thoughts and actions,

what many scientists call executive functions.

Or what neuroscientist Adele— no, not that Adele, Adele Diamond—calls self regulations.

I like to think of it as my self-control filter, the thing that keeps my impulses and emotions in check.

And the way to strengthen that filter is as simple as taking a moment, focusing your attention, and asking yourself,

"Is what I'm about to do a reflection of who I am and who I want to be?"

So while we're all becoming more and more distracted in this age of distraction, we need to remember to take a moment and think. There are a lot of new, exciting conversations happening about character.

One that I find interesting is that there are 7 strengths in particular that can be real game changers in academic achievement, success, and happiness.

No matter what your circumstances.

Those 7 are optimism, gratitude, social intelligence, curiosity, self-control, enthusiasm, and perseverance, also known as grit.

While there have been many different theories about character throughout history,

what scientists in this field agree on is that character matters

and that character strengths can be learned, practiced, and cultivated.

So when you think about yourself, what are your strengths?

And how can you find ways to use them more in your home, work, school, and community?

It's like you have these superpowers and focusing your attention on them makes them stronger.

And then, if you focus on the people around you and their strengths, it makes them stronger too.

As each of us becomes our best versions of ourselves

and encourages others to do the same,

we can lead to important changes throughout the world.

Just imagine a world infused with more humanity, justice, courage, wisdom, and compassion.

So if you can be a better version of yourself, how do you want to be?

[cloud entry #1] I definitely want to be somebody that other people can feel they can rely on.